Nearly a week has gone by since we wrote to Associate Environment Minister Phil Twyford asking to be consulted as part of his investigation into why the City Council voted NO to notifying a city-wide medium density residential intensification Plan Change 14.

Today we learned, indirectly, we will not be heard.

The Associate Minister’s office, in answer to a media question, says he expects the city council to speak for us. The answer, sent to a journalist on Monday (see attached), said “the investigator has been tasked with working with the Council and it is expected the Council will represent the views of residents and local stakeholders.”

We have received no reply from the Associate Minister’s office, but take the statement to mean the investigator will not be talking to us. Neither have we heard from the Council.

The statement also says residents will have a chance later to make submissions on the plan change. This is incorrect and misleading. The legislation forces medium density on the city immediately with no right of appeal as soon as the Plan Change is notified.

Last week Twyford advised he had appointed lawyer and mediator, John Hardie to undertake the investigation so he could better understand the issues in regard to housing intensification in Christchurch and explore the way forward. We took him at face value which is why we wrote to him last Thursday asking to be part of the process.

The RMA amendment Act on intensification, rushed through parliament at lightning speed last year, needs the close scrutiny of independent investigation. Even with our limited resources of time, people, and funds, we have discovered serious flaws and inconsistencies in the drive for intensification articulated by the Act. We see issues needing serious review.

The legislation will drive a bulldozer through Garden City neighbourhoods for generations to come and we have already seen more destruction of neighbourhoods and lives than anyone should see in a lifetime. Residents will be living on edge.

Given the apparent rejection of our request to meet Hardie, we can only assume the Associate Minister simply wants to rubber stamp a process before starting up the bulldozer again. He could have saved the taxpayer a chunk of money by simply ordering compliance. If he genuinely wants to find a path forward, he has a strange way of showing it.

We do not accept the city council will adequately represent our views to Hardie. Senior council staffers drafted the plan change in the first place (taking a conservative view) and seemed to not understand what we were on about. The 5-minute Council meeting slots offered no opportunity to engage meaningfully with Councillors or planners in any detail, as the investigation should.

If it were not for residents’ protests, consents for closely packed three and four storey developments in residential suburban zones would be in underway right now.

We thank our elected Councillors for standing firm against the government edict. We trust they will continue to do so when they meet the investigator.

We remain strongly of the view Christchurch would be damaged by a plan based on an Act designed for Auckland and ask, once again, that a group representing residents be given an opportunity to voice our concerns directly.

Addington Neighbourhood Association
Avon Loop Planning Association
Burwood East Residents' Association
Central Riccarton Residents' Association
Charleston Neighbourhood Association
Christchurch Civic Trust
Church Corner Residents' Association
Cracroft Residents' Association
Dallington Residents' Association
Englefield Residents' Association
Greater Hornby Residents' Association
Halswell Residents’ Association
Ilam and Upper Riccarton Residents’ Association
Inner City West Neighbourhood Association (ICON)
Lower Cashmere Residents' Association
Middleton-Matipo Residents Association
North Beach Residents’ Association
Northwood Residents' Association
Riccarton Bush - Kilmarnock Residents' Association
Somerfield Residents' Association
St Albans Residents' Association
Spreydon Neighbourhood Network
Sumner Community Residents' Association
Victoria Neighbourhood Association (VNA)
Westmorland Residents’ Association
 

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